Tanya Tucker has seen, done and been places most people can’t imagine, and she’s done it at a pace that would kill mere mortals. A child thrust into stardom with a series of precocious hits, the iconic “Delta Dawn,” “Would You Lay With Me,” and “Blood Red & Goin’ Down,” among them, she then released a pair of wild and brash rock records at 18, then returned to country music in her 20s to ultimately take the CMA Female Vocalist of the Year Award in 1991. Along the way, she’s been a cutting horse champion, played dives, arenas, stadiums, and the Houston Rodeo, created headlines, and wrung out the absolute last drop out of every moment.

And that approach to living is what makes her new album, Sweet Western Sound (Fantasy) such a tour du force. Building on her collaboration with Brandi Carlile and Shooter Jennings (who co-produced Livin’), they dug deeper into the caverns and canyons of Tanya’s life. This time the music is bigger and more immediate, the reckonings more profound; but as always, the heart is strong, honest, and willing to tell the truth about it all.